I need to share something with you. I write this newsletter to share relevant information along with a bit of inspiration. But I have struggled to write this particular introduction knowing many of you are facing challenges that feel insurmountable right now. While I cannot make these challenges go away, I want you to know that I see you. I want you to take that in for a moment; I see you.
If you are reading this, you are someone involved in making the lives of children better through arts education, so it doesn't matter if we’ve known each other for years or if we’ve never met — I see you. The work you do each day matters and you matter as a person.
We know the arts lend themselves well to teaching students the value of relationships. Creating relationships, establishing trust, and connecting with students will help our young people connect to and respond to new learning opportunities and challenges. Everyone wants to know they matter. How do your students know you see them? How do their family members know you see them? How do the adults you work with know you see them?
I’d love to know more about the ways you create relationships, establish trust, and connect with your students. How do you create space for personal conversations with and between students? How are your students able to share who they are? How are you teaching the art of truly listening to others?
Please share your ideas via email or on Twitter. And if you are looking for additional resources and ideas, continue reading this newsletter, the new California Arts Education Framework, and connect with me @PCrooks_VAPA and others passionate about arts education on our weekly #CaArtsEdChat chats every Wednesday from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Whether you’ve never participated in a Twitter chat before or are an expert, use this link to see the questions and learn how to join the conversation.
Please remember I am here as a resource for you. You can reach out with your questions via email or phone — if I don’t have the answers I will do my best to connect you with someone who does.
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VAPA Coordinator, SDCOE
858-295-8881
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California Arts Standards
A new professional learning series is being created for arts educators to further explore the specific arts discipline they teach. Please take a moment to complete this short survey to provide input on this series and check the VAPA professional learning opportunities webpage above for more information as it becomes available.
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Introduction to Arts Integration
Build an awareness of how arts integration using theatre strategies can activate your curriculum in any content area. This online, asynchronous course developed by La Jolla Playhouse will guide educators through a deep understanding of the value of standards-based arts integration, how to develop an ensemble mindset in the classroom, assessment through the arts, and ways to connect community arts organizations to schools. Course includes example lesson plans, teacher testimony, and resources to guide arts integration into standards based curriculum.
This course was designed in collaboration through the Kennedy Center Partners in Education partnership between the La Jolla Playhouse, the Chula Vista Elementary School District, and the San Diego County Office of Education with funding provided by the CCSESA Arts Initiative. Please use this link to sign up for this free course today.
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Arts Empower San Diego - Communication Toolkit
Arts Empower San Diego wants to make it easier for you to take action in support of arts education. Each month you will find a new set of weekly social media posts as well as a short paragraph supporting arts education for other types of communication when you visit our website. Share the social media posts using the hashtag #ArtsEmpowerSD and #theArtsMatter, and encourage your community to do the same! For more information about supporting arts education in your community, contact pauline.crooks@sdcoe.net.
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Arts Education Resource Organization (AERO) Arts Pack
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Arts Education Curriculum Units
Whether you are looking for new units to use with your students, plans to share with a substitute, or curriculum for students in quarantine due to COVID-19 you will want to check out the SDCOE distance learning units of study in grades K-12. Focused on grade-level essential learnings in each content area, these units were purposefully designed to integrate content (including the arts), and provide flexibility and choice. These open-source units are being developed in Google to ensure maximum flexibility for teachers to use them with their district’s preferred instructional platform.
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Visual and Performing Arts Foundation Announces 18 Teachers Who Will Receive 2021-22 VAPA Enhancement Program Funds
Eighteen San Diego Unified School District teachers will receive awards to underwrite Visual and Performing Arts instruction, experiences, and materials, funded by the VAPA Foundation’s 2021-22 VAPA Enhancement Program. The Visual and Performing Arts Foundation, an independent nonprofit that supports the San Diego Unified's Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs, funds arts enhancements not covered by a school’s budget. The VAPA Enhancement Program, or VEP, enables any San Diego Unified teacher to apply for funds to enhance the quality of and access to arts education in the classroom or school. This year VEP will fund artist residencies in dance, theatre, visual arts, media arts, and music. Funding for arts equipment includes recording equipment, microphones, ukuleles, and restoring a baby grand piano. Each successful applicant linked the request to ongoing curriculum goals.
Among the VEP recipients is Jason Berman at Millennial Tech Middle School, who will be able to fund students using various multimedia tools such as the Adobe suite to create onscreen graphics for videos, as well as to create illustrations to animate them. In the school’s computer lab, 10 computers will be set up as drawing stations by attaching drawing tablets, allowing the students to be more creative in making digital art.
At Oak Park Elementary, an ongoing partnership with the David’s Harp Foundation teaches digital music production to at-risk fifth graders, imparting the skills of music composition and production and fostering relationships that encourage the most difficult and struggling students to re-engage with the school community. Their digital music program currently focuses on using cutting edge technology to teach students to compose, record, edit, and present original music.
Michael Camacho, executive director of the VAPA Foundation, shared, “We were excited to see such innovative ideas from our teachers and see them develop unique partnerships with arts and culture organizations including the David’s Harp Foundation, Villa Musica, Guitars in the Classroom, The Rosin Box Project, San Diego Ballet, Classics 4 Kids, and Art FORM San Diego.”
This year, the VAPA Foundation has awarded a total of more than $30,000 and nearly $130,000 in VEP awards since its inception in 2017. This funding was made possible in part by a sponsorship from UC San Diego. In addition, donors from the community have recognized the connection between in-depth arts learning and gains in school attendance, graduation rates, college and workforce readiness, civic pride, and cultural awareness.
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Grant Opportunities for Arts Educators
SDG&E and DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose, in partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), is still distributing funds as part of the $250,000 it has set aside in shareholder funding to help local educators supplement classroom education with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects.
Teachers at public schools within SDG&E’s service territory can visit the DonorsChoose website to apply, and also view the matched projects from local teachers. Eligible projects at schools in disadvantaged communities as defined by CalEnviroScreen will have donations to their projects matched with $2 for every $1 that they raise. The campaign will run until funds are exhausted.
Theatre/Drama Educator Award
Current public high school theatre/drama teachers can apply for the Reba R. Robertson Award from the Children's Theatre Foundation of America. The award recognizes outstanding dedication to teaching theatre arts. Candidate must have at least five to eight years of service remaining, and among other requirements must exhibit: Strong, ongoing commitment to dismantling racism as demonstrated by a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion and involving communities that have been historically disadvantaged and socially, politically, and economically excluded. Funding is intended for awardee to gain new experiences, grow as a theatre educator, and expand knowledge of equitable practices in high school theatre. The deadline to apply is Dec. 15. |
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Call for Poetry: Resiliency Through and Emerging from the Pandemic
The San Diego County Office of Education, Arts Empower, Write Out Loud, and David’s Harp Foundation would like to invite all San Diego County students in grades K-12 to Let Your Voice Be Heard! Teachers, please encourage your students to write and submit their poems inspired by pandemic experiences, real or imagined. A limited number of classroom workshops are available for teachers wishing to have a teaching artist from Write Out Loud guide their students through reading, discussing, and exploring poetry writing techniques. The submission deadline is Dec. 30, 2021. For more Information call 619-297-8953 or email writeoutloudsd@gmail.com. Guidelines and the submission portal are available here: https://writeoutloudsd.com/pandemic-poetry/
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Classics 4 Kids Music of the Desert and Forest
This FREE live-streamed virtual field trip will be livestreamed on YouTube to view from your classroom. Join Conductor Dana Zimbric and Classics 4 Kids musicians at sea. From ocean voyages to sea life, we will dive deep into music inspired by the sea.
This educational program is designed for students in grades K-6. Registration required by noon on Friday, Dec. 3. All registered teachers will receive the YouTube link via email on Dec. 6.
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The Nutcracker Virtual Field Trip
Southern California Ballet will perform narrated show excerpts of The Nutcracker and provide extension activities in choreography and costume design. Plus, you will be able to enjoy our Nutcracker Time Machine and a World Tour through the Land of the Sweets. Available in both English and Spanish. Learn more about this virtual field trip on the Poway OnStage website.
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county.
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